How To Build Your Reddit Marketing Strategy

As a marketer or business owner, your social media feed likely repeats the same advice over and over again: Write search engine optimized blog posts and webpages, optimize your Google Business Profile, hire social media marketing experts, host seminars, and post consistently on LinkedIn.

While these methods work, they generally attract broader audiences who may not connect as deeply with your products and services as a more targeted audience would.

If you’re looking for a more focused approach to building authority and attracting leads who align closely with your brand, consider Reddit. Viewed by many as just a forum, Reddit has gained traction as a powerful marketing tool. It allows you to participate in authentic conversations with communities directly related to your company’s services, providing you with real opportunities for positioning your business as a trusted industry leader. In fact, a recent Clutch survey of 260 marketing and advertising professionals found that 44% are excited about their company engaging in Reddit.

However, many marketers struggle to leverage Reddit effectively. Based on the survey conducted by Clutch, the top three challenges that prevent marketers from using the platform strategically are:

• Low engagement from target audience (41%)
• Lack of understanding the platform (40%)
• Difficulty with targeting the right Subreddits (37%)

This guide will show you how to overcome these challenges and build a Reddit marketing strategy for your brand. You’ll learn the benefits of Reddit marketing, how Reddit works, how to get started with your Reddit marketing strategy, how to outsource your Reddit marketing efforts, and more.

How Reddit Works

If you’re one of the 44% of marketers who are excited about your company engaging in Reddit marketing (Clutch data), then it is imperative to understand how the platform works before you dive in.

As Growth Marketing Manager Sara Vicioso of Workshop Digital says, “Managing Reddit campaigns comes down to having a strong understanding of the platform itself.” Since Clutch’s recent survey revealed that 40% of marketers find that not understanding the platform is one of the biggest challenges of using Reddit as a marketing channel, let’s break down how Reddit works. 

Reddit Structure

Reddit consists of user-created communities called subreddits. These user-created communities focus on specific topics, interests, or communities and have the prefix “r/." Examples include r/gaming and r/cancer.
Users in subreddits can submit content (text posts or links). They can also engage in discussions through voting (upvotes and downvotes) and comments.

Karma is Reddit’s reputation system. It encourages high-quality contributions and helps valuable content gain traction. Users earn karma points when their comments or posts receive upvotes, demonstrating approval and relevancy. On the other hand, downvotes reduce karma, showing disapproval or a lack of relevance.

Posts that receive many upvotes, comments, and views may be displayed at the top of its subreddit or the Reddit front page. Reddit's front page shows the most popular posts from various subreddits.

Reddit Culture

Subreddits all have their own rules that users must obey. If users disobey these rules, they may be removed. Every subreddit has rules against spam, and most also ban overt self-promotion, which may make marketing challenging. 

That’s because, Vicioso notes, “Reddit is a place where users seek help and information, and anything overly sales-y feels out of place." You can get around these rules by engaging in authentic conversations with people interested in your industry and your advice.

Reddit Community

To get the results you want from Reddit, you must understand that “the challenge isn’t just posting, it’s earningyour place in the conversation,” as Amel Mehenaoui, SEO Account Manager and Lead Strategist at Taktical, points out.

In other words, adding content (even high-quality content) isn’t enough. You also have to participate in a way that adds value to ongoing discussions.

Reddit’s structure allows users to adopt usernames that mask their real-world identities. As such, general Reddit users are anonymous.

This anonymity gives individuals more freedom to ask questions and make comments, as they feel less judged than they would on platforms where accounts are tied to real-world identities.

For brands, this anonymity creates a unique opportunity to engage authentically with users. Although general Reddit users can remain anonymous, brands can choose to maintain transparency by using identifiable accounts.

By participating in ongoing discussions and providing valuable insights, brands can build stronger, more genuine relationships with Reddit communities compared to other communities where accounts are tied to real-world identities.

Benefits of Reddit Marketing

A Reddit marketing strategy provides unique advantages for brands. Here’s why you should integrate it into your digital strategy.

Builds Brand Trust

Reddit users value authenticity and the ability to talk directly to industry experts. 

If you consistently provide non-promotional, non-spammy, and helpful insights in relevant subreddits, you can position your brand as community-focused and trustworthy.

As you make posts across Reddit, monitor how the community receives your content. If you make a mistake, admit it and learn from the experience. This showcases your authenticity and transparency, earning you the respect of Reddit users.

Elevates Engagement Rates

Reddit can boost your brand engagement rates in several ways. 

If you participate in discussions and share insights in relevant subreddits, you can establish yourself as a thought leader in various communities, some of which have over a million members.

For example, if you’re a legal tech startup, providing helpful perspectives on industry challenges, tools, and trends in subreddits like r/legaladvice (2.9 million members), r/ask_lawyers (90,000 members), or r/legaltech (8,400 members) can help build credibility with a specific audience.

Offers Niche Targeting

Reddit has a vast network of subreddits that cover every interest you can imagine, from motorcycles and anime to baking and logistics. By engaging with people in these subreddits, you can easily connect with people already passionate about a particular topic.

Has High SEO Value

Reddit threads often rank high on Google search engine results pages (SERPs), particularly for long-tail keywordslike "best supply chain management software for small businesses" or "how to reduce shipping costs for e-commerce."

As such, if you don’t have the time or energy to create new blog content, participating in relevant popular Reddit threads can increase your brand’s visibility on SERPs.

Viral Potential

Last but not least, Reddit threads can go viral — that is, get a rapid increase in upvotes, views, and comments, leading it to appear on the front page of the subreddit or Reddit itself.

Viral content can greatly increase the chances of leads purchasing your goods or services. Content that goes viral on Reddit has a higher chance of being shared across other social media platforms and websites.

Getting Started With Your Reddit Marketing Strategy

Knowing how Reddit works is only the first step. The next step is creating a Reddit marketing strategy. Follow these steps to get started.

1. Set Goals and Objectives

First, you need to set goals and objectives. Define what you want to achieve, whether it’s brand awareness, traffic, conversions, or community building. As Molly Ploe, director of SEO and demand generation at Brafton Inc., points out, “Reddit is a top-of-funnel platform in most marketing cases, so the types of metrics brands should track relate to engagement, such as post interactions or clicks to your website’s blog or resource center.”

The more specific you are, the clearer the path forward will be. For example, a B2B marketing business may set goals such as:

• Increasing brand awareness by engaging in five high-traffic subreddits related to marketing each week.
• Driving 500 visits to a resource center through Reddit posts or comments.
• Achieving 200 upvotes and 50 direct messages from users in relevant subreddits.

2. Conduct Thorough Audience and Competitor Research

After setting goals, it’s time to conduct detailed audience and competitor research. Start by identifying relevant subreddits, topics, tones, and trends.

As Mehenaoui mentions, “You have to know exactly what your audience cares about, what frustrates them, and how they communicate. That means lurking before posting, understanding subreddit culture, spotting trends, and figuring out where your brand can add real value without looking like a brand. If you can’t blend in, you’ll stand out for all the wrong reasons.”

Mehenaoui continues, “Before you even think about posting, do this: Immerse yourself in your audience’s world. Scroll through relevant subreddits. Analyze top posts. Pay attention to recurring questions, pain points, and inside jokes.”

You should also note when popular posts are made. “Timing matters, too, so pay attention to when your audience is most active on the platform,” adds Vicioso.

Since 37% of marketers find is challenging to target the right subreddits (Clutch data), we wanted to share the following tools to help you discover and monitor active subreddits:

• r/TrendingReddits, which scans Reddit 24/7 to detect spikes in subscriber count early.
• SnooSnoop allows you to find new subreddits that fit your brand. Enter a Reddit username (such as that of a competitor or a lead you've secured) to see their top subreddits, activity timeline, and more.
• Brand24 has a new AI-powered Reddit monitoring tool. Its real-time monitoring lets you stay caught up with relevant subreddits.

For competitor research, you must ask the right questions to stay ahead. As Vicioso posits, “How are your competitors engaging? What subreddits are they active in?”

Follow these steps to perform competitor research:

• Map your competitors’ presence on Reddit. What subreddits do they post in? What topics do they focus on? How do they structure their posts to attract and retain audiences?
• Determine how your competitors blend in with the community. How well do they follow the subreddit culture and rules? How do they distinguish between answering people’s questions and subtly promoting their brand? Pay attention to how they handle customer inquiries and challenges.
• Spot the gap in the conversations where your competitors are active. What aren’t they talking about that you can? That could be your niche.

3. Create Your Brand Profile

Finally, you can create your brand profile. Here’s how:

1. Create a Reddit account: Visit Reddit.com and create a username that reflects your business. Try to avoid numbers or symbols unless they’re part of your brand.
2. Optimize your profile bio: In your bio, summarize what your brand does. Showcase your unique selling points.
3. Add relevant keywords: Include keywords related to your industry or niche, such as “EdTech Developer” or “Logistics Expert.”
4. Pick an effective avatar: Your profile image or avatar should match your overall brand identity. Use your company logo or a visually appealing design that people will recognize immediately.

By creating a brand profile that reflects your brand, you'll appear authentic to Reddit users interested in your insights, products, and services.

Content Strategy and Engagement: The Key to Reddit Marketing Success

You can only start content strategy and engagement after conducting audience research.

“Then," advises Mehenaoui, "build your content plan around real conversations, not marketing objectives. Share insights. Answer questions. Spark discussions."

Here are three content and engagement strategies you can use to maximize engagement:

• Create engaging resources, guides, and posts that provide value to readers. “Reddit likes engaging and interactive posts, so including slides to flip through or a long-form educational resource can go a long way,” says Ploe. For example, on r/legaladvice and r/cancer (73,000 members), you could post a short post linking to a free guide about legal action mesothelioma patients can take against asbestos manufacturing companies.
• Use popular content types. Examples include the following:
  • Educational (how-to guides and tutorials)
  • Open-ended questions (to spark discussion)
  • AMAs with experts and key people from the company
  • UGC (testimonials, case studies, photos from customers, etc.)
  • Polls
  • Behind-the-scenes
  • Memes and humorous posts (if done right)
• Boost your brand by engaging in comment threads. For example, if you’re a logistics company, you can answer other people’s questions, link to blog posts from your site that answer their questions, and share your experiences. This can position your brand as a knowledgeable leader in the field.

Ultimately, create content that doesn’t feel like ads. As Ploe puts it, “Brands should approach Reddit posting carefully as Redditors are highly sensitive to advertising and inauthentic activity on the platform.”

Create Your Reddit Posting Schedule

You also need to determine a posting schedule. Here are some common best practices for creating a schedule that works for you:

• Start small. Don’t overload yourself at the beginning. Start with one post a week or whatever works best for you and your team, given your bandwidth. Once you’ve built momentum and learned what performs best, gradually amp up the posting frequency.
• If you’re uncertain about the best posting times, try a few slots. Experiment with posting on weekends or in the evening. The best time for posting varies depending on the industry, your audience’s age range, and many other factors.
• Maintain quality over quantity. Reddit values quality and authenticity, so always prioritize helpful, engaging, and thoughtful content. Slow down your frequency if your posts ever start feeling repetitive.

Best Practices for Engaging With Redditors

According to Clutch’s recent survey, 41% of marketers find low engagement from their target audience as one of the biggest challenges with marketing on Reddit. In order to get the most out of Reddit, follow these best practices for engaging with Redditors (Reddit users).

Comment on Posts in Relevant Subreddits

Merely creating posts about your content in subreddits isn’t enough. You also need to comment and reply in relvant subreddits, which shows the human side of your brand.

“Brands who are active in comments can build camaraderie with other active users in that subreddit and demonstrate their authority,” notes Ploe.

Build Relationships and Trust Through Meaningful Contributions to Discussions

To succeed on Reddit, you must build relationships and trust in the community. This means contributing meaningfully to discussions, giving valuable insights, and helpfully engaging with users. This helps you promote your brand and become a respected and recognized voice in relevant subreddits.

“Any organic posting should be value-first, helpful content that cannot be misinterpreted as advertising in disguise,” highlights Ploe.

Carefully Handle Negative Sentiment on Reddit

Receiving negative community feedback on Reddit is nerve-wracking, and is also a big challenge to Reddit marketing according to 21% of marketing professionals (Clutch data). No one likes to receive negative comments about themselves or their business, of course, but negative feedback on Reddit could have even larger impacts than hurt feelings. 

For example, AI can find negative discussions and incorporate them into responses that involve your business.
As a result, people may easily see negative points about your brand in the “AI Overview” section at the top of the search results page. According to Ploe, “To counter this, brands should address negative sentiment or discussions head-on.”

Here’s how you can do this:

• Assess criticism and how to respond. As Vicioso advises, "Start by assessing whether the criticism is valid, misinformation, or simply trolling (IMO, I would avoid responding to the trolls). Once you’ve evaluated the situation, respond accordingly, keeping it genuine, acknowledging concerns, and offering helpful information or resources that may lead to a solution."
• Don’t argue. “It’s important that brands don’t 'argue' with negative commenters or reviewers, as this will only serve to further reduce sentiment,” advises Ploe.
• Learn from criticism. “Most importantly, use Reddit as a learning tool. If the same complaints keep surfacing, it’s likely a sign that something needs to be addressed internally, and it is a good time to analyze common complaint trends,” saysVicioso. 

Ultimately, you should frame handling negative sentiment on Reddit as an opportunity to build trust and credibility. By replying promptly and empathetically, you show that you want to resolve users’ issues, which means your brand is accountable and values customer feedback. The more you do this, the more trust you build within the community.

When and How To Use Reddit Ads

All of the elements mentioned above are organic strategies. There are many benefits of organic efforts, including long-term relationships with clients, trust, and brand awareness without spending money. That’s why organic marketing is the preferred marketing method on Reddit. 

However, organic efforts can be time-consuming, especially if you have a small marketing team. It can take months to build credibility and foster meaningful interactions.

For this reason, you may wish to consider Reddit Ads. These paid promotional content ads allow businesses to reach and engage with targeted Reddit users by showing ads in various formats, like image ads, sponsored posts, and video ads. As Ploe notes, “For some brands, Reddit Ads makes perfect sense. These brands are typically B2C brands whose audience is active on Reddit already.”

When Should Brands Use Reddit Ads?

Brands should use Reddit Ads in the following situations:

• To boost visibility among targeting audiences/relevant subreddits: Reddit Ads allows brands to place themselves in front of relevant subreddits without solely relying on organic engagement. For instance, if your brand is in the tech industry, running ads in subreddits like r/entrepreneur and r/technology will help you reach users already interested in your niche.
• To drive traffic or conversions quickly: If you have a time-sensitive promotion or you’re launching a new service or product, Reddit Ads can quickly capture leads and direct them to your call-to-action.

Best Practices for Running Reddit Ads

To make the most of Reddit Ads, you should follow these best practices:

• Target the right subreddits: “The most important aspect of a Reddit advertising strategy is identifying relevant subreddits and appropriate topics for those subreddits. Because Reddit is full of highly discerning consumers, they’ll ignore an irrelevant ad on their favorite subreddit or even walk away with a negative impression of your brand,” says Ploe.
• Make ads feel like organic content: You should still put effort into making ads look natural. Otherwise, your content may be spammy or inauthentic, making potential leads less interested.
• A/B test messaging and formats: A/B testing is creating two or more versions of a post, ad, or content and testing them on different audience segments. It’s a powerful way to experiment with different formats, copy, messaging, video, and imagery and quickly identify which elements resonate best with their target audience. As Ploe highlights, “Experimenting with different formats, such as A/B testing copy, messaging, video, and imagery can help brands find what works, quickly.”
• Engage with comments: You should also engage with comments. Mix Reddit ads with organic engagement to boost your marketing strategy.

Final Tips for Reddit Marketing Success

Now that you know how Reddit works, how to get started with your marketing strategy, and when to use Reddit ads, here are some final tips for Reddit marketing success.

Listen First, Then Engage

Before engaging, you should always listen to users. Read the rules, mood, and how you can (and can't) contribute.

“Since every subreddit has its own vibe and rules, your content needs to feel natural, not forced. Once you’ve got that down, plan a mix of posts, whether they’re informative content, AMAs, discussion starters, or jumping in on trending topics,” advises Vicioso.

According to Mehenaoui, “The brands that win on Reddit aren’t the ones shouting the loudest. They’re the ones actually listening, contributing, and becoming part of the community.”

Stay Flexible and Adapt to Real-Time Conversations

Instead of repeating points or using templated responses, always create original responses, even if you’re rehashing the same or a similar topic.

As Vicioso puts it, “Reddit thrives on real-time conversations, and the best strategy is to leave room for authentic engagement when opportunities pop up. Social listening tools can help track relevant conversations, but those moments can’t always be planned in a content calendar.” 

Get the Tone Right: Be Authentic, Not Promotional

Getting the right tone can significantly affect how your content is received by the community. As Ploe advises,

“Strive for a helpful, sincere tone through all your Reddit content, as insincerity will be called out immediately.”
Similarly, Mehenaoui emphasizes, “Whatever you do, ditch the corporate tone. If your content feels like an ad, it’s already dead.”

In sum, you should always prioritize authenticity and genuine engagement in your posts and avoid any promotional language. This way, you’ll build stronger, more meaningful connections with Reddit audiences.

Outsourcing Your Reddit Marketing Efforts

Building and executing a solid Reddit marketing strategy requires time and energy. 

If you want to use Reddit marketing but want to conserve your team's energy and budget, consider outsourcing your efforts to Clutch’s top Reddit marketing services. All of our service providers have been verified for their legal history, client feedback, credit background, and more.

Ready to Start Your Reddit Marketing Strategy?

Creating and implementing a Reddit marketing strategy is one of the best ways to promote your business. You can build your Reddit marketing strategy by setting goals and objectives, conducting thorough audience and competitor research, and creating your brand profile.

Key best practices for success on Reddit include commenting on posts in relevant subreddits, building relationships through meaningful and genuine contributions to discussions, creating a schedule for engagement, and handling negative sentiment on Reddit.

If you don’t have the time to build organic traffic through commenting and interactions or want to attract leads for time-sensitive deals, consider buying Reddit Ads. These paid ads let you target specific subreddits by showing image ads, sponsored posts, and video ads.

Whether you build organic traffic or buy Reddit Ads, creating value-driven content and having an authentic voice are vital to attracting and retaining Reddit leads. As Vicioso says, “At the end of the day, success on Reddit is all about value-driven content and authenticity.” 

About the Author

Jeanette Godreau Senior Content Marketing Specialist at Clutch

Jeanette Godreau crafts in-depth content on web design, graphic design, and branding to help B2B buyers make confident decisions on Clutch.  

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